'Tumbang Preso' gets a digital revival in mobile game adaptation

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Remember “Tumbang Preso,” the iconic childhood pastime that involves players throwing a “pamato” in the form of a slipper at a guarded empty can to knock it over, which also signals the start of a habulan?

Well, the classic Filipino street game just got a fresh, digital take, aiming to introduce it to new players while also evoking nostalgia for older generations who can no longer afford to play it again on the dusty streets.

Called “Tumbang Preso: Endless” by indie game developer Jon Quin, the mobile game brings old-school fun into the digital age, one slipper at a time.

“I realized I hadn’t seen kids playing it in years, and I just really missed it. Since I work as a junior software engineer and know how to program, everything sort of aligned,” Quin told GMA News Online.

In “Tumbang Preso: Endless,” players aim to knock over a can using a trusty tsinelas, dodge enemies, and retrieve their slippers to score. Each successful attempt ups the ante: enemies get faster, timing becomes trickier, and the challenge intensifies. With every score milestone reached, players unlock randomized Teks cards, a clever nod to another Filipino childhood favorite, which offer unique upgrades to help them go further.

“The goal is to see how high you can score before you run out of slippers — that’s where the ‘Endless’ part comes in,” Quin said.

Visually, the game pays homage to Filipino childhood just as much as its gameplay does. Built in a retro pixel art style, the game oozes nostalgic charm with every frame. Players are thrown into a familiar setting: cracked asphalt framed by grassy borders and chain-link fences, echoing the exact kinds of places where real-life “Tumbang Preso” games used to erupt after school.

The characters wear simple white shirts and shorts, and the hand-drawn elements like chalk circles, bottle caps, and even worn-out slippers help ground the game in cultural memory.

Quin shared that the setting is “heavily inspired by a typical Filipino backyard. I asked my artist friends Vinsprout and DemKi to help build the whole background. There’s also the Teks Cards — I used them for the upgrade system in the game.”

Admittedly, developing the game presented its own set of challenges for Quin.

Primarily, he cited time and energy as significant hurdles, as he juggled development during his free time while holding a day job, followed by the other major challenge: the task of translating a game with no real ending into something with structure and progression without losing its inherent fun.

Initially, Quin confessed to being hesitant about creating a game so deeply rooted in Filipino culture, fearing he might be “boxed into that stereotype” where Filipino developers are expected to only make “Filipino stuff.”

“But now I think that mindset was wrong. I realized there’s a genuine charm in our culture that actually works really well in games,” he said.

It’s a good thing that Quin pushed through because now that it’s live, he’s been receiving “really encouraging” responses from the Filipino community.

“A lot of players say it brings back memories. Some even told me they played it with their kids and explained how we used to play it outside — that’s exactly what I hoped for,” he said.

“Some people joke that instead of going outside, kids are just staying home to play the game — but my main point is I made this because I don’t see kids playing Tumbang Preso anymore. I hope it becomes a gateway for them to try it in real life.”

Quin feels more inspired to keep going and is already planning updates and possible expansions.

“A lot of people are suggesting multiplayer, so I’ll try to make that happen and maybe add other Filipino traditional games too. It’s going to be a long, hard process, but we’ll see!” he said.

“Tumbang Preso: Endless” is available on the Google Play Store for free. —JCB, GMA Integrated News